Wedding Dress
by seaofhopes
Summary: It's been months since the wedding was called off. Syd had taken care of paying all the vendors for their time and effort, but she forgot one very important cancellation: the wedding dress. While trying on the dress she gets a surprise visit from Eddie.


**3 missed calls**. Samantha Swift let out a sigh. The more she ignored the calls the more incessant they became. Tilting her head to the side she peered into Eddie's office. _Good he hasn't gotten to work yet._ Being secretive was always a million times harder whenever Eddie was in the building. Every call, every text, every early departure was met with a million questions. Sometimes the inquiry was sweet, but today it would just be overbearing.

Sam ran her finger across the cellphone screen and scrolled through the dozens of messages she'd been ignoring. Taking a deep breath she placed the phone against her ear: _Hello, Ms. Swift. We've been trying to get a hold of you for over a month now. The wedding dress you picked out is ready for alterations. Please give us a call so we can schedule a fitting._

Samantha released the breath she'd been holding and wiped away the stream of tears that rolled down her cheeks. "The dress." Her _dream_ dress. Everything about her relationship with Dylan had been hard. The constant judgement from the media, his wandering eye, her lack of communication, and their incessant paranoia. Yet, finding the dress had been easy. She'd searched through a single rack before laying her eyes on the lace gown. "I don't need it anymore."

The actress had never gotten the chance to see the final dress let alone try it on. The last few months had been a whirlwind. Dylan had broken off their engagement mid-interview, she'd gone off the rails and set his clothes on fire, and then Syd had shipped her off to rehab. Too many things had happened in such a short amount of time that the wedding dress had completely slipped her mind.

"I'm going out for a while. I'll be back this afternoon." Sam made the announcement to no one in particular before shutting the double doors of the elevator.

* * *

Entering the bridal shop made Samantha feel uneasy. The woman at the counter gave her a soft smile before trotting towards her and enveloping her in an embrace. "Hello to you too."

"I'm sorry. It's just that after everything that happened with your engagement I thought I'd never see you again."

"Yeah, well I've been getting a lot of phone calls to come and pick up my dress. So here I am." Samantha clasped her hands together and began to pace around the salon. Every twinkle of the bridal tiaras was like a jab to her heart. "Do you mind grabbing the dress for me?"

"Of course." The petite woman disappeared into the stock room and ran back with an ivory box. "It came in last month."

The actress didn't move towards the counter. She stayed five feet away. It was like the dress was a carrier of an infectious disease. Any sudden movements and she'd contract the illness as well.

"Do you want to see it?"

 _No._ "Sure." Samantha made her way to the counter and stared at the large box. She grabbed the outer corners for several seconds before finally removing the lid. It was beautiful. More beautiful than she has remembered. Biting down on her lip she ran her fingers across the Spanish lace. A soft smile tugged at the corner of her lips as tears began to stream down her face. "Can I try it on…please?"

"The dressing rooms are right this way." The woman slid the box into her arms and guided the young actress to the corridor where all the fitting rooms were located. "Once you're ready, I'll have someone come in and lace up the back of the dress."

"Okay." The word was soft as it left her lips.

Samantha picked up the dress and pressed it against her body. The sweetheart neckline and the straps of lace that coiled around her upper arm reminded her of her mother's wedding dress. During those months she'd tried desperately to capture a connection with her past. It seemed that only in her youth she'd been effortlessly and completely happy. She'd convinced herself that maybe if she donned the exact dress, and veil, and hairstyle as her mother then maybe she'd be as happy as she'd been during her wedding day. "I'm ready."

* * *

Samantha stood on the pedestal. The woman staring back at her was a complete stranger. Every time Sam ran her hands up and down her abdomen the woman in the mirror did the same. It was her, except it didn't look like her.

"And now for the veil."

Sam bowed her head slightly so the woman could position the mile long veil on top of her head. The saleswoman fanned out the veil and the majority of the entryway was consumed by the thin material. "You look beautiful." The familiarity behind the words caught the actress off guard.

The quick shift in positioning caused the dress and veil to wrap themselves around Samantha's petite frame. "How did you know I was here? I didn't tell anyone where I was going." _You pinged my phone._ Stepping off the pedestal she made her way toward her partner. "This is the dress that never made it down the aisle." She shrugged her shoulders and tried her best to hold back the tears that were begging to spill.

"He was an idiot to leave you." Eddie brushed the veil away from Samantha's shoulders and offered her a soft smile.

" _I_ was an idiot for falling for him in the first place." Shaking her head she raked her fingers through the hair where the veil was nestled. Once the over-priced material was no longer tugging at her scalp she allowed it to cascade onto the floor. "Why are you here?" Samantha allowed herself to plop onto the floor. She no longer cared about ruining the delicate material or ripping a seam if she didn't sit precisely so. It wasn't like she was ever going to wear the dress in public anyways.

"Monica said you left the office in tears. She was worried…and so was I."

"I'm fine." Tears began falling as soon as she spoke those words. It was like her body was playing a cruel trick on her. Why was it so hard for her to just move past Dylan and the wedding? "I'll be fine. It may not look like it now, but I'll be fine." The soft feel of Eddie's fingertips against her cheeks caused Samantha to close her eyes and release a breath. "Tell me I'm going to be fine." It was easier to believe it when he was the one that said it. Somehow she'd come to rely on him. Whenever life got hard she ran to him for reassurance. Her own voice no longer carried any weight. It was like he had the power to make everything better. "Say it's all going to be okay."

"You're going to be fine." The former cop slipped his fingers between the spaces of Sam's hand and held it tightly. "I promise."

"What am I supposed to do with this stupid dress?" A hoarse laugh escaped Sam's lips as she reached to wipe away the tears. "It isn't exactly appropriate for the work place." She pushed herself off the floor and made her way to one of the jewelry cases. A pair of tear shaped earrings gleamed against the florescent lights. Removing their backs she slid the earrings on and looked at her reflection in the mirror.

She was a mess. Mascara was rimmed around her eyes making her look like a raccoon. And her hair was a mess after having tugged off the veil. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand in an attempt to make her face look slightly presentable. Then, she raked her hair into a loose bun and turned to face her partner. "I would have made a great bride."

"You still will." Eddie stated matter-of-factly. "You just need to find the right guy."


End file.
